A WOMAN has died after a car hit a tree in a fatal crash near Symonds Yat.

Paramedics, a Mercia Accident Rescue Service doctor and the Welsh Air Ambulance were called to the A40 in Whitchurch, near to the junction with the B4164 at 5.39pm on Saturday.

An ambulance service spokesman said: “On arrival, ambulance staff found a car that had come to rest on the wrong side of the carriageway after colliding with a barrier.

"There were two patients inside.

“The passenger, a woman, had suffered serious injuries in the collision and received specialist trauma care.

“However, sadly it became apparent that nothing could be done to save her and she was confirmed dead at the scene.

“The driver of the car, a man, was treated for injuries not believed to be serious and was conveyed to Hereford County Hospital by the Welsh Ambulance Service.

Police said that a blue Vauxhall Insignia is believed to have left the carriageway, struck a tree and ended up on a crash barrier around 200 yards past the turning for Symonds Yat.

The male driver, who is in his 60s, was uninjured in the crash, but the passenger, a woman in her 70s, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The woman's next of kin and the coroner have both been informed.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who saw the incident or who saw the vehicle and the manner in which it was being driven prior to the collision.

Anyone with information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting incident number 588S of 30 March.